Masteries

Ferocity:
12

Cunning:
18

Resolve:
0

Threats to Zyra with this build

Rare but sometimes happens. He is very close range so it should be easy to harass him. His Elastic Slingshot is very predictable and is usually also a sign that a gank is coming. Late game he will probably build quite tanky so don't expect killing him to be easy in the late game. But otherwise laning is easy.

2

Ryze

This should be in your favour as you outrange Ryze. Abuse this as you don't want to get into his range, since Rune Prison can potentially lock you down. Also care for him using Realm Warp behind you or into another lane.

2

Twisted Fate

Very easy matchup similar to Ryze as he needs to be in close range to deal proper damage and his Wild Cards has a slow missile speed. Just be sure to remember his Destiny ganks and ping SS when he is missing. Boots can be bought early if you have trouble dodging Wild Cards.

3

Azir

Quite easy as he has a weak early game and if he is using his soldiers to attack he must stand still (unlike your plants which just attack even if Zyra isn't). He has had significant nerfs over the last few patches (such as removing Shifting Sands knockup) so he is even less threatning. However his ganks can be fatal if he is able to push you with Emperor's Divide toward his turret so keep warded and be careful if he walks/flashes towards you (try to land Grasping Roots).

3

Gragas

While Gragas does have some long range poke he relies mainly on hard engages using Explosive Cask then Body Slam. As long as you keep warded to avoid ganks and maybe buy boots to avoid Barrel Roll this matchup should be in your favour.

3

Karma

Karma is sort of similar to Zyra as she has lots of Utility and Damage. However you outrange her so it is more in your favour. Landing Grasping Roots could be tricky as Inspire gives her a movement speed buff and a shield if you grow a plant to attack her. Also if you see her coming towards you with Inspire she is probably trying to use Focused Resolve then Soulflare for massive damage, so be on the lookout.

3

Karthus

Karthus can be very easy as he is very slow and his only poke ability (Lay Waste) has a significant delay and therefore is easy to dodge. He will try and farm so just bully him as much as possible and maybe even get a kill (but be careful of Death Defied!). Karthus mainly thrives in the late game and when he can snag kills/assists using Requiem. If possible use Strangethorns on him when he ults as the knockup will interrupt the channel, putting it on full cooldown (Requiem has longer cooldown than Stranglethorns).

3

Kog'Maw

Kog'maw's long range poke can be very powerful so boots are highly recommended early in the game. However since he is very slow it can make it easy to land abilities and keep him in range of plant fire. Mainly just try and bully him a lot while avoiding his own harass

3

Lissandra

Lissandra is fairly easy as her abilities are very short range. While her Glacial Path does have a decent range it is extremely predictable and has a long cooldown. Frozen tomb can make killing her difficult but the stasis could give time for your abilities to come off cooldown to then finish her off. Ping SS when missing as her CC could make her ganks quite strong.

3

Malzahar

Malzahar has a shorter range than you, and his Call of the Void has a delay therefore meaning it's usually quite easy to harass him. However be careful of nearby minions who are tagged with Malefic Visions or else it may pass onto you if it dies. Also his all ins and ganks can be very powerful when he uses Nether Grasp. Overall though this should be a fairly simple lane if you can keep warded and dodge Call of the Void.

3

Morgana

Morgana is very easy as she is reliant on landing Dark Binding, which is easily dodged. However if you see her walking up to you she is probably about to use Black Shield to try and stop your root and then use Soul Shackles. Overall though this is pretty easy as long as you can dodge Dark Binding. Early boots recommended.

3

Aurelion Sol

Aurelion sol is fairly easy as he has no range or immediate mobility, as well as a weak laning phase. If he uses Comet of Legend with an active Starsurge, try and damage him to interrupt his flight. The stun can be potentially deadly.

4

Anivia

Very similar to Zyra in many ways, as she is a low mobility Champion but has high CC and range. Since Zyra's early game is better she has it better for a while, simply harass using Deadly Bloom + Rampant Growth, and maybe even Grasping Roots + Rampant Growth if you are confident she won't escape (remember she has low mobility). At level 6 try and be careful of her Glacial Storm + Crystallise as she can trap you then burst you down with other abilities.

4

Annie

Generally quite easy as her range is tiny and she has no mobility so she is easy to harass. But be warned as her all in when using flash + summon tibbers is through the roof.

4

Ezreal

Despite the Runeglaive nerfs Mid lane Ezreal has still been very popular since the release of Runeglaive. Now it is considerably easier but can still be difficult if you aren't very good at dodging skillshots. Early boots recommended. Otherwise this should be fairly straightforward.

4

Kayle

Kayle is fairly short range therefore quite easy to poke. Her Divine Blessing and Intervene can make her sort of difficult to kill and hit with abilities but as long as you don't get slowed by Reckoning then this is pretty easy.

4

Miss Fortune

Ability power Miss Fortune isn't all that common but does happen sometimes. When she uses Make it Rain try and leave the area of effect as quick as possible, also try to move away from minions who she shoots with Double Up as it can do quite heavy damage. Her Bullet Time can be avoided unless you are in the area of effect of Make it Rain. Overall though this lanes main difficult is mainly just avoiding abilities.

4

Nami

Mid lane Nami is very rare at best but still feasible. Her main asset is long range CC, similar to Zyra. She also has some mobility through Surging Tides which could make landing Skillshots difficult. Also her Ebb and Flow will damage you while healing herself so her trade offs are quite efficient. your best bet is buy early boots then go all in if she misses her Aqua Prison (it has a long delay).

4

Nidalee

Nidalee is quite easy in mid lane as she is completely reliant on hitting you with spears and if you just hide behind minions or just outright dodge them then it is very difficult for her. Buy early boots and punish her when she does miss them. However be warned if the spear does land it can deal massive damage and then mark you as hunted, causing her cougar abilities to be empowered. Overall though a very easy lane.

4

Orianna

Oriana has lots of long range poke however since her ball is quite slow it makes it reasonably easy to dodge. But she also has a shield (and bonus armour and magic resistance) so damaging her can be a bit difficult. Be especially wary of her Command: Shockwave, as when she uses it at the right time it can be devastating. Overall though with early boots it shouldn't be all that hard

4

Viktor

Viktor's abilities are quite close range and he doesn't have any mobility until he augments Siphon Power. On the same note try not to harass Viktor directly after he has used Siphon Power as he gains a shield for 2.5 seconds. Early boots could be good if you have trouble dodging Death Ray. Overall though your range should give you the advantage.

4

Jhin

Jhin's mobility and range is a bit limited so this should be in your favour. However he does have some early cheese up his sleeve thanks to Deadly Flourish's root. This can be especially deadly when he has Curtain Call. Just try to stay out of his autoattack range.

5

Ahri

It could be considered a matter of skill in an Ahri matchup as her mobility and charm can really put the immobile Zyra in a tight spot. However you outrange her with your abilities. Early boots are a good choice for this one as it is a matter of dodging her Orb of Deception and charm. For charm, try and stay behind minions. For Orb of Deception you just have to be nimble-footed as soon as you see her use it. It's alright to take about 1 or 2 hits from it, but if she gets you low enough she may activate spirit rush and dash her way to you. Overall though your high range should keep you away from her while being able to safely harass.

5

Cassiopeia

Similar to you as she has fairly long range poke and her Petrifying Gaze is a strong source of CC. Boots are useful as avoiding her poisons can really put a dent in her late game as she needs it to stack Aspect of the Serpent. Also, if you see her use her Twin Fang on a unit that is not poisoned, then punish her severely as she now can no longer do significant damage to you for about 4 seconds

5

Heimerdinger

This will most likely be a farm lane. Heimer is similar to Zyra as he also has autonomous minions but he relies on them much more than Zyra does on hers. His turrets are going to make it difficult for anyone, including junglers to get close to him and he also has long range poke. Buy early boots.

5

Lulu

While Lulu has low damage and range she is extremely difficult to kill or even damage and she is great in teamfights. Often you will just farm against her because it is too difficult to land Grasping Roots when her Whimsy gives her bonus movement speed. This will be quite a boring lane. Invest in early boots if you feel her Glitterlance is giving you a hard time. Also be careful if she has a jungler with a gap closer as she could use Wild Growth on them after they reach you, which would make escaping ganks very difficult.

5

Malphite

Malphite mid isn't very common but it happens occasionally. In lane you outrange and damage him however his shield and overall tankyness make him hard to damage. Also his all ins and ganks are very powerful when he lands Unstoppable Force. Therefore warding is very important

5

Syndra

Syndra has similarities with Zyra as she has long range poke and CC. Buy early boots as it makes avoiding the creation of her Dark Spheres easier (and Force of Will). Be careful when she is level 6 and has multiple Dark Spheres active as her Unleashed Power can deal heavy damage.

5

Varus

Varus can be annoying as he has very long range poke that is hard to avoid despite the massive delay on Piercing Arrow. Be careful when he is level 6 as he could use Chain of Corruption on you if you stand too close. Early boots are a must. Since he isn't very mobile landing abilities should be fairly easy and calling for ganks can be effective

5

Vel'Koz

Vel'koz is like Zyra and many others as he has long range poke and some CC. However all his abilities have quite significant delays except for Life Form Disintegration Ray. Buy early boots and if he misses Tectonic Disruption then try and punish him. Overall this should be like a skill lane but slightly in Zyra's favour.

5

Ziggs

Ziggs has loads of long range poke but not as much CC as other similar champions. Early Boots are necessary as they help you dodge his Bouncing Bombs. Overall as long as you can dodge his abilities and land yours then there is nothing he can do.

5

Taliyah

Taliyah's range is lower than yours but her Worked Ground offers good mobility to dodge your abilities, and she punishes your immobility with her Seismic Shove into Unravelled Earth. Attempt to poke her at your maximum range. Also care for her ganks on other lanes using Weaver's Wall.

6

Ekko

This is a tricky matchup to rate, as Ekko is only bad if you cannot avoid certain situations such as getting stunned by Parallel Convergence. If you can avoid them, then this is easy. If you can't then this is hell. In general he does have one form of long range poke but it is very slow so is easily dodged. As for Parallel Convergence Ekko will say a line and draw his weapon up every time he uses it, then after a delay it will appear at the location for about 1 second before finally arming. This makes it VERY predictable and should be avoidable. As for Chronoshift this is mainly annoying as it makes him hard to kill but it can pack some heavy damage so be looking out for his time ghost(?)

6

Galio

Galio really takes the cake for being an Anti-Mage as he gains ability power based on his magic resistance. Also his Bulwark will keep his health topped up. Keep warded as his Flash + Idol of Durand combo is deadly when being ganked. Overall this will be a farm lane. Early boots recommended for his poke.

6

Kennen

Kennen is very annoying as his Lightning Rush allows him to dodge abilites and ganks with ease. Also if he is given the opportunity to get you in range of Slicing Maelstrorm then he will probably kill you. The main solution is just to farm and try and avoid Thundering Shuriken, play safe if you have a Mark of the Storm.

6

Lux

Lux is similar to you because she has long range CC and poke but also the addition of a shield. Killing her will be difficult unless you get a successful gank. Early boots are crucial.

6

Veigar

Veigar is very frustrating as his Primordial Blast scales with your ability power, meaning as you gain power, so does he. He also gains permanent bonus ability power that can stack infinitely and an area of effect stun that lasts up to 2.5 seconds. The best course of action is to try as hard as possible to avoid his Event Horizon then punish him for missing it. He is very vulnerable when it is on cooldown. Also prioritise magic penetration as this won't cause his Primordial Blast to gain bonus damage.

6

Xerath

Xerath has a super long range and a stun so this is a very fickle lane to play in. Early boots are completely necessary and you must be careful when you are low health because even if you run away his Rite of the Arcane has an extreme range and is hard to dodge. However since he is very immobile it is wise to call for lots of ganks and try to land Grasping Roots.

7

Brand

This is one annoying champ as his long range harass is quite insane especially with his his passive: Blaze. If possible stay away from him when you are affected by it as it empowers his abilities, such as giving a 2 second stun to Sear. I really recommend early boots in this matchup.

7

Jayce

Jayce is a very fickle Champion just because of how adaptable he is. His long range poke and safe farming in Cannon Stance allows him to harass and remain relatively unharmed in lane and once he feels he can get a kill he just changes to Hammer Stance and leaps on you for heavy damage. However since his Acceleration Gate is quite clumsy in the context of trying to dodge abilities it makes it quite easy to hit him with abilities when possible. Also if you see him use Acceleration Gate be prepared for Shock Blast. Early boots recommended.

7

Kassadin

As an anti-mage there will be some difficulty against Kassadin. Pre 6 he has little threat however after this his Riftwalk will allow him to engage you easily and dodge abilities or score kills on other lanes. Try to be aggressive early, but be careful post 6.

7

Katarina

As an Assassin Katarina has the classic annoyance of being able to jump on you and kill you very quickly without much retaliation. As long as you play safe and maybe rush a Zhonya's then it could be difficult for her. Also if she tries to ult you from (nearly) full health then it could be wise to plant Stranglethorns right underneath herso that the knockup becomes very likely to happen. The main concern is to avoid getting killed as she can snowball. Pinging SS if missing is very important.

7

Vladimir

Vladimir is short range so it isn't harassing him that is the problem it's just trying to keep his health low. Try and rush morellonomicon to reduce his healing. If you want to try and kill him it's best to try during his very weak early game. But after he has either become level 9 (maxed Transfusion) and/or bought Hextech Revolver then he becomes very hard to kill, and it turns into a farm lane. Also his late game is very powerful so it will generally be a hard time.

7

Zed

Rushing Zhonya's Hourglass is the key with this lane as if you don't then he can completely wreck you over and over with his Death Mark. Also early boots can be a good asset for avoiding his shurikens. Since he needs to use autoattacks quite often to get his farm that means your range come in handy but his Living Shadow can be used to dodge Grasping Roots and Stranglethorns (try baiting it using Deadly Bloom). With time Zed can actually become quite easy to play against since his actions are so predictable. Also remember to ping SS when missing, since he does sometimes roam.

8

Akali

Pre level 6 this lane is very much in your favour. Make sure to harass and deny CS as much as possible. Buy a pink ward if you want something to reveal her while she is in Twilight Shroud. However once she hits level 6 you must be EXTREMELY CAREFUL, as you will 100% die if she initiates on you with her triple dash. When she gets to level 6 just try and farm while standing under your turret, if she tries to engage then try to land Grasping Roots and maybe also Stranglethorns to trap her under tower, which will unnerve and maybe even kill her due to turret aggro. Make sure to ping SS as she may start roaming.

8

LeBlanc

As an Assassin with 4 different teleports Leblanc is extremely slippery. Often she will harass using Sigil of Malice + Distortion with little chance of retaliation as the second cast of Distortion makes it very difficult to land abilities. Often it's best to aim Grasping Roots at her return pad in the hope that she teleports right into it. Since you do not want to feed Leblanc it's best to just play as safe as possible and farm. Remember, Zyra's late game is very strong, even if not fed.

8

Yasuo

It's Mr. InfiniteDashes himself and he will be very difficult to land abilities on him and it is very easy for him to walk right up to you while he has a Whirlwind ready and hit you at point blank range for an easy Last Breath as well as many other maneuvers. Since he is very squishy landing Grasping Roots can be very bad for him so try as hard a possible to land it but still use it judiciously. Also try and use autoattacks to pop his shield whenever it refreshes, this should be fairly easy since Zyra has a long attack range.

9

Fizz

Similar to Akali as this is all yours pre 6. However even before level 6 he is very mobile and that Playful/Trickster can be very frustrating (try and bait it out using Deadly Bloom before Grasping Roots while harassing). After level 6 his all in 100 to 0 potential is extremely potent and i would recommend being on the look out for Chum the Waters. Rush Zhonya's Hourglass.

9

Talon

Talon's all ins are very powerful thanks to his Shadow Assault + Cutthroat so it will be very difficult for Zyra to survive in lane. Try and rush Zhonya's Hourglass and use it's active AS SOON as he has jumped on you using Cutthroat (after using Shadow Assault). While Shadow Assault does have a low cooldown making him waste it will give you a good amount of time to just harass him as much as possible. Perhaps call for ganks while it is on cooldown. And of course you MUST PING SS when he is not in lane as Talon is a massive roamer and his ganks are fatal.

10

Diana

This is most likely to be Zyra's most difficult matchup. Diana has long range poke, a shield, hard CC and a gap closer with a no cooldown potential. Early game she doesn't really have any kill potential so just try and farm and harass, but after level 6 just play safe under the turret and try as hard as possible to not acquire the Moonlight debuff from her Crescent Strike, as that is when she will kill you.

Masteries

Ferocity:
12

Cunning:
18

Resolve:
0

Threats to Zyra with this build

Janna is extremely adept at keeping her ADC safe however she has almost no damage, meaning her harass is pitiful. Just harass the ADC from long range then when they are low health it becomes a matter of avoiding her Howling Gale and maybe trying to bait Monsoon. Ganks can help as even a Janna has difficuty stopping a 3 man assault on a low health ADC

2

Karma

Karma support is similar to you but she has shorter range than you. However she has both a shield and a self heal so killing her or the ADC could be slow. As long as you focus the ADC you can hopefully kill them in the end. Also be careful of her Soulflare, which deals massive damage (fortunately it has a slow projectile speed, so it can be dodged).

2

Nidalee

I dont really understand how having just one heal/attack speed steroid classes someone as a support but it is not all that bad. Dodging her spears can be easy since they are slow and hit minions. WIthout spears the onyl use she really has is traps and heals which is easily out damaged by Zyra.

2

Nunu

Very easy since he is a relatively squishy melee champ who's poke is short range. Therefore it makes it easy to harass or stop him. His Blood Boil is generally pretty weak and his Absolute Zero can be interrupted by your Stranglethorns. However remember he can heal himself, therefore making it more advisable to just harass the ADC.

2

Sona

She is a mage support just like you except her poke is short range. Therefore you have a massive advantage since her Aria of Perseverance is pretty negligible (especially with Morellonomicon) and her Song of Celerity's movement speed will not be enough to help reliably dodge your skillshots. Simply be careful of be careful of her Crescendo in gank situations and then otherwise an easy matchup.

3

Annie

Annie support is sort of similar to Zyra support as she has harass and CC. However she has a much shorter range so as long as you can keep the bushes warded her attacks can be anticipated and you can use Grasping Roots on her for a surprise kill. She may Flash with Summon Tibbers for a kill and there is unfortunately not much retaliation to that so that is the only serious threat.

3

Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks has lots of CC and harass however he is short ranged, therefore meaning it is easy to stay out of range then punish him if he walks into range. However remember that he may sustain his health using Drain so it may not be a good idea to use too many abilities on him (save them for ADC). To avoid being ambushed by Crowstorm keep bushes warded and maybe even plant Stranglethorns around the area that you and your ADC is standing so that he teleports right into it.

3

Morgana

Similar to you except I think Zyra has the advantage since her Dark Binding is single target and moderately easy to dodge. Your main problem with Morgana is her Black Shield which can completely negate your abilities. Try baiting it using Deadly Bloom, since it has quite a long cooldown especially during earlier parts of the game.

3

Rammus

He is a tank with a taunt and a small knockup so he is alright as a support. However unlike other tanks his hard engages aren't as bad since he doesn't have a gap closer that brings you to him, rather than him to you. Try and use Grasping Roots on him whenever he tries to Powerball to your ADC, otherwise though an easy matchup.

3

Sion

Sion is loaded with hard CC so it can be a fatal is he catches you, however his Decimating Smash is quite tricky to land and his ultimate is very predictable, meaning you simply require the wits to dodge. If he has tagged you with the slow from Roar of the Slayer however it could be a bit trickier to land. Overall though fairly easy.

3

Taric

Taric's kill potential is a bit lower than other supports as his main asset is in his extreme defence, a heal, and shield AND invulnerability will make scoring a kill harder. However his Mana costs are fairly high and he is easy to poke.

3

Trundle

Trundle is sometimes played as a support due to the attack damage reduction on his Chomp. Other threats you should watch out for include his knockback on Pillar of Ice and the Armour/Magic Resistance shred on his Subjugation. Overall though he is fairly easy since he is a melee champ with no reliable gap closer.

3

Vel'Koz

Vel'koz is similar to you since he has long range CC except he has less of it, therefore giving you an advantage, as well as him having a shorter range than you. However be careful of his Life Form Disintegration Ray since it can deal tons of damage while applying a small slow. Overall though he is definitely at a disadvantage compared to you.

3

Miss Fortune

Ms Fortune is fairly easy as she is very vulnerable to hard engages. Attempt to use an autoattack on her before using skills to remove her Strut passive. Her damage potential is very high, but she can be killed quickly.

3

Quinn

Quinn has got solid mobility and burst so there has to be some degree of care, however Behind Enemy Lines is pretty much useless in a fight (it is a roaming and engage tool) so she is prone to skirmishes and fights during the laning phase.

4

Bard

Bard is a utility support so his damage isn't that high. However you must be very careful about his Cosmic Binding as that can leave you and/or your ADC compltetely crippled. Also you must be careful about his Tempered Fate when running away as that can stop you dead in your tracks. On a lighter note he is quite short range and he is squishy so he should be easy to harass, his Caretaker's Shrines aren't really that powerful.

4

Kayle

Kayle can be kind of annoying as she has a heal and invulnerability for her ADC so killing them can be hard. When she is not using Righteous Fury she is melee and is easy to harass however be careful of her potential damage output using Reckoning and Righteous Fury. Overall your main difficulty in this lane will be getting kills.

4

Lulu

Lulu is also a poke mage but has much shorter range and damage so Zyra has that advantage. However Lulu has the utility advantage by having a Movement Speed boost, a targeted Polymorph (Blind and Silence), a shield and a Health boost ability with a knockup/slow component. Overall just make sure you are just consistently harassing the enemy ADC as Lulu doesn't have any reliable heals (Wild Growth doesn't really count). Hopefully even with this utility your damage and your ADC's damage should be enough to get kills on the enemy.

4

Malphite

Malphite is very tanky so it could be troublesome trying to damage him so in conclusion don't bother. He isn't very threatening during early game since his Seismic Shard harass isn't too strong and has a high mana cost. The main problem you will face is his hard engages using Unstoppable Force. He will most likely use this either when you or your ADC's health isn't too good or if his jungler is about to gank. For the former make sure to be careful about staying in lane and low health and for the latter keep consistently warded.

4

Nami

Nami is very reliant on landing Aqua Prison and since it is quite easy to dodge that shouldn't be too much of a problem unless she is very smart. Other possible concerns include that she has healing for her ADC and even a Movement Speed buff that occurs when her abilities hit her allies. This could make make her and her ADC a bit slippery (Being a fish also contributes). Watch out for her Tidal Wave since it is very powerful when it lands but also very slow, often she will use it after Aqua Prison or right in your face. Overall this is mainly a lot of crucial skillshot dodging.

4

Orianna

Similar to you since she has long range poke and CC. However her ball travels relatively slowly so it's just a matter of keeping an eye on it then dodging when necessary. However unlike you she has a shield for her ADC so be wary of it, also her Command: Shockwave can be fatal when used correctly, usually when a gank is coming so stay warded.

4

Shen

Yet another tank with a taunt however this time Shen is a bit more dangerous. His taunt is AoE therefore meaning he can lock you and your ADC down and he also has a heal for his ADC and a massive shield with global potential. Be wary when you think he has Stand United and if possible, bully his ADC if he teleports out of lane. His heal is given by his Vorpal Blade which he can mark an enemy with to cause attacks on them to heal the attacker. It scales with his max health however it shouldnt be too much of a concern, the main concern is the poke that if offers since it is on a low cooldown and Shen uses energy. Overall it is a below even matchup in your favour.

4

Soraka

This is a unique matchup in which you would be wiser to focus the Support rather than the ADC. This is because of Soraka's powerful low cooldown healing. Try to harass and even kill her as much as possible as it leaves her ADC very vulnerable. Outside of healing Soraka doesn't really do much since her damage is low and her Equinox root is very conditional. Rush Morellonomicon. Overall can be fairly easy as long as you get rid of Soraka!

4

Zilean

With the recent reword to his passive Zilean has actually had a surprisingly large power spike, most likely because the bursts of XP allow him and his ADC to outlevel you in lane. Other threats you should be wary of include his strong poke and conditional stun his Time Bomb offers. His Time Warp can also allow his ADC to easily dodge skillshots and of course his notorious Chronoshift means you can not killean the Zilean or another ally. Your main poblem really will be that his ADC will be very safe so kills will be difficult to get. Otherwise his kill potential is quite low.

4

Tahm Kench

Tahm Kench doesn't threat you ADC too hard, however his devour makes it really hard to properly engage the enemy ADC, so this may end up being an annoying lane. Watch out for his Tongue Lash though, it does decent damage and the slow is fairly strong.

4

Ashe

Ashe is very 100% immobile so landing skillshots will be easier against her. However look out for her Ranger's focus as it has high damage, but she needs to stack it up first. Also try not to get caught by Enchanted Crystal Arrow (that can be quite difficult though).

4

Graves

Graves has a fairly short range and prefers extended fights. Since Zyra has some good burst, she can stop him quickly but careful of him dodging with Quickdraw, remember the longer a fight with Graves is prolonged, the harder it will be for you.

4

Jinx

Jinx is similar to Draven as she is a hyper carry but I think she is a bit easier to keep under control while laning against her. Be careful of her Chompers.

4

Kog'Maw

Kog'maw is super weak early game, and has no mobility. However his late game is very strong so try and abuse him as much as possible in order to deny him his late game fantasy. This should be quite easy though.

4

Sivir

WIth her Spell Shield and innate movement speed Sivir can sometimes be tricky to pin down. Attempt to bait her Spell Shield first for the best chance of landing abilities.

5

Alistar

Since he is a tanky melee champion your harass will give him a bad time during early game. Also his heal isn't very strong (not for his ADC at least). However once he has built a certain degree of tanky items or he activates Unbreakable Will then he could just shrug off the damage and his hard engages can be very powerful when he pulls them off correctly. If you see him moving towards your ADC try and land Grasping Roots to stop him.

5

Lux

Lux is similar to you so that automatically makes her annoying. She also has a root ability but it is also a slow skillshot like Grasping Roots so it is a matter of trying as hard as possible to dodge it. Also her Lucent Singularity harass is very annoying and try not be be Auto Attacked when you have Illumination. To top it all off she even gets a Shield. Overall this is gonna require a lot of thinking, 1 about harassing the ADC while another trying to dodge Lux's abilities.

5

Teemo

His Blinding Dart is only really an annoyance for your ADC but the main problem with him is his lane control using mushrooms. Your lane will be ungankable by your jungler and if you hide in a bush to land skillshots you risk stepping on one and being slowed. However Teemo is short ranged and squishy so killing him shouldn't be too much problem. Buy a Sweeping Lens into an Oracles Alteration without delay. Overall though this matchup will be kind of challenging.

5

Caitlyn

Caitlyn has high range so she can be a bit of a lane bully. However she is fairly easy to catch out, especially since her 90 Caliber Net dash has a channel time that can be interrupted. Basically, poke her but also avoid her traps and Piltover Peacemakers.

5

Draven

Draven is an ADC who really wants to snowball and his cheese potential is quite strong. His range is short so it can be easy to abuse him but be careful about getting too close.

5

Jhin

Jhin is got fairly low mobility so poking him should be fine. But it is important that you dodge Deadly Flourish, as the root can result in a follow up from him and his support, and he has high damage especially with Curtain Call.

5

Varus

Varus has lots of poke and range of his own so chances are he will attempt to sit far away farming and poking. Punish him when he is close though as he has no escapes or mobility. Also he is slowed while charging his Piercing Arrow, so he is even more vulnerable during that time.

6

Braum

As a super tank with a powerful slow and then stun Braum can be difficult to keep under control. Try and stay behind minions to block his Winters Bite and be careful about using Grasping Roots on him when he has Unbreakable off cooldown because that can block the projectile. Play safe if you have any stacks of Concussive Blows to avoid getting stunned. Hopefully though as long as you can consistently harass his ADC then he can't do anything about it because he has no healing abilities (Relic Shield heal is quite small and inconsistent).

6

Gragas

Gragas is similar to Alistar as he requires a hard engage to be useful in fights so that can be tricky for Zyra. But since he is quite squishy early in the game when he doesn't have many tanky items. Just try and harass him and his Barrel Roll is very predictable. However also remember that his Explosive Cask is ranged and can sometimes catch you by surprise. Keep warded as Explosive Cask is usually used when a gank is coming.

6

Thresh

Thresh's kit revolves heavily around landing Death Sentence which has a significant delay therefore can be easily dodged. However once you are hooked he will keep you locked into his ADC with little chance of living so you must be very careful. Other tricks he may pull include simply walking up to you and either autoattacking you or using Flay towards his ADC. Also his Dark Passage can allow his ADC to dodge your Stranglethorns and other skillshots so it can be rather annoying trying to kill them. Overall a moderate difficulty matchup.

6

Corki

Corki has good poke and damage and his Valkyrie offers him some mobility. This will be difficult if you can't dodge his skills. However Corki is helpless while Valkyrie is on cooldown so abuse him when it is, and bait it if possible.

6

Ezreal

Ezreal is very similar to Corki, has high damage and poke as well as a movement ability, but he is helpless without Arcane Shift as he cannot dodge your ablities.

6

Kalista

Kalista is very mobile thanks to Martial Poise so landing skills will be harder. Her hard engage at level 6 is also quite strong because of Fate's Call. However she is very support reliant so catching her without her support makes her very weak. This could still be a bit tricky though.

6

Tristana

Tristana can be a bit frustrating as she has good all in along side her Rocket Jump, which allows her to escape afterwards. However since she is immobile outside of it she is prone to harass. Note that Grasping Roots will not interrupt Rocket Jump, Tristana will only suffer it's effects upon landing.

6

Twitch

Twitch is prone to poke due to his short range and immobility, however be careful of his stealth, keeping a pink ward handy is recommended.

6

Vayne

Vayne is hard to hit because she has Tumble to dodge your abilities. Skilled Vayne players will be especially hard to hit. Your best bet is to try and bait Tumble.

7

Cho'Gath

Cho'gath support doesn't happen very often but it does make sense. He is tanky and has long range CC and a silence, which will completely cripple Zyra. You can try to harass the ADC but you must be careful about Rupture. What you will hope is that he will use up his mana spamming Rupture and then that is when you should try and punish him.

7

Galio

Galio has a lot of long range poke and his Idol of Durand is extremely powerful. Do not try and focus him at all as his Bulwark will just heal him up. Just try and focus the ADC and try as hard as possible to avoid his poke as it can hurt bad.

7

Kennen

Not so common but annoying when it happens. Similar to Annie since he also has a stun passive and potential high burst damage. Be careful of his poke especially when you have a Mark of the Storm since 3 of those gets you stunned. Overall you just have to make sure you can dodge skillshots during this lane but his Slicing Maelstorm can be potentially very deadly.

7

Leona

SInce Leona is all about hard engages this automatically becomes difficult for Zyra. If she hits either you or your ADC with Zenith Blade then try and hit Leona's ADC with your abilities to try and deter them from taking advantage of Leona's CC. Also you must be very wary of Solar Flare since it has a very high range and can often catch you be surprise. Overall your job in this lane is just to try and harass the enemy ADC while keeping an eye on Leona to make sure you can dodge her or save your ADC.

7

Nautilus

Similar to Leona because he specialises in hard engages. His Dredge LIne can be very annoying to try and dodge and his Depth Charge is targeted. Overall like all hard engage matchups you just have to try and dodge that one crucial skillshot that starts it off.

8

Blitzcrank

Very annoying champion as his hard engages using Rocket Grab are hell. There isn't really much Zyra can do once she has been grabbed and since she is slow it can be difficult dodging them. However as long as both you and your ADC can consistently dodge his grab then there isn't much he can do. Try and stay behind minions. Since he is melee it is pretty easy to harass him. However he could build quite tanky so be on the lookout.

8

Lucian

Lucian is actually quite hard, as his sheer mobility and burst damage, especially with the 'Korean' build is very strong. Try and attack him if he has used Relentless Pursuit recently, as that is when you have the best chance of landing an ability.

9

Brand

Brand support is a joke really because all he has is one form of hard CC and then just TONS of damage. Often Brand will just harass you and the ADC in lane and then unleash Pyroclasm at level 6 taking a double kill for himself. Just play safe as there isn't much chance of winning this lane but remember that he often doesn't let his ADC have kills, so they may be underfed by late game.

Introduction

Hello readers, in League of Legends I am ConnieSpringles on the EU West server. This is my first League of Legends guide and I decided to write it about a champion who is most likely my absolute favourite champion: Zyra: The Rise of the Thorns. In this guide I cover both a Mid lane Mage and a Bot lane Support Zyra. I will describe and explain her various builds and her play style throughout the guide. I hope you find this guide informative and useful, and maybe one day you will come to enjoy Zyra as much as I do.

Pros / Cons

Pros:

Long Range Poke
Lots of CC
Strong Presence throughout the whole game
Has the potential to deal huge damage
When skilled will Rarely run out of Mana
Innate Vision
Plants can block certain Skillshots
Passive means people may regret killing you

Cons:

Extremely Squishy (has almost the lowest health, armour and magic resist)
Susceptible to Hard engages and all ins
Immobile
Becomes very vulnerable while Grasping Roots is on cooldown
Reliant on skillshots (all abilities have delays)
When supporting she doesn't have any sustain abilities, and she is sometimes prone to kill stealing

greater mark of hybrid penetration: I wouldn't usually do this but some people would like to utilise Zyra's long attack range to harass the enemy, and since autoattacks deal physical damage it means that Zyra can actually benefit from the armour penetration that these offer. However this is usually only effective in early game, as everyone has scaling armour and Zyra's attack damage scaling is just average.

Greater Seal of Health: These can be a good choice since they offer general protection from damage. Just be careful though of champions who deal %health damage, such as Zed and Kog'Maw.

Greater Glyph of Ability Power: These can be taken if you simply wish to maximise damage output and shun defence. It can work since Zyra is long range but it means you have to be abusing your range as much as possible, and not be too close. Also note that since Zyra has fairly low ability power scalings, these aren't as effective as it may be on other champions.

Masteries

Masteries

5/5

1/1

5/5

1/1

5/5

1/1

5/5

1/1

5/1

1/1

Ferocity Tree:
These are typically the masteries I take so I can obtain as much damage as possible. Sorcery is a must have and Double Edged Sword is also good for the free damage amplification. However Feast is also good if you prefer the sustain. I then take Natural Talent for the ability power and Oppressor since Zyra is good at getting that bonus damage with her high kill potential.

Summoner Spells

These are my usual 2 choices for summoner spells. Flash is probably the most important as it gives Zyra some much needed mobility and can be used both offensively and defensively, whether it is running away, chasing, repositioning or ambushing someone by flashing through a wall. Ignite is also very good as it allows you to help secure the kill and reduce healing effects your victim may use to survive. However there are other spells that this can be swapped for:

Exhaust can be a great replacement for Ignite as it slows the target which keeps them in range of plants longer and reduces their magic resistance so it is like extra magic penetration. However it will not stop enemies from flashing so it's kill securing power is reduced ( Ignite technically doesn't either but it will keep on damaging them unless they Cleanse). Exhaust can also generally be more useful in the late game since Ignites damage can become negligible.

Barrier can be very useful against very bursty champions such as Zed and Diana. Also since it is a shield Ignite will not reduce it's effectiveness.

Heal is similar to Barrier except it heals rather than shields, as well as healing another nearby champion and giving each of you bonus movement speed. Despite it sounding better it may actually be less effective as Ignite will reduce it's healing so it is difficult to use in a pinch. Also in mid you have no ally to heal. However it can still be a good choice as healing an ally can help in the late game.

This spell is also a good choice as it can remove otherwise fatal CC and spells such as Infinite Duress and Ignite.

Zyra's Abilities

Passive- Garden of Thorns:

Zyra a spawns seed around herself every 13/11.5/10/8.5 seconds, sometimes spawning 2 at once. Seeds prefer to spawn in brush. Seeds last 45 seconds or until stepped on by an enemy or until a plant grows from it. Zyra can have a maximum of 8 seeds at a time (including Rampant Growth. Using Deadly Spines or Grasping Roots on a seed will grow it into a Thorn Spitter or Vine Lasher respectively, each dealing 24-109 (based on level) (+15% Ability power) Magic Damage on each attack, and a unique trait based on the ability used. Plants have modified health (4 +0.4 per Rampant Growth rank) and take modified damage. Plants last 5-7.5 seconds (based on level). Multiple plants attacking a single target after the first deal 50% damage.

This is Zyra's passive. It was changed to this during the mage update of patch 6.9 because riot wanted Zyra to have a larger reliance on her plants, as well as her plants being her core identity. This passive has 2 strong uses. Obviously the first one is growing plants to attack foes. Growing seeds while in lane then turning them all into plants that attack you enemy will deal lots of damage, especially when you lock them down with Grasping Roots. The second use is it's zoning power. Enemies may be hesitant to step near seeds, therefore it leaves spaces where they do not walk.

After a brief delay, Zyra causes thorns to shoot from the ground at target area, dealing 60/95/130/165/200 (+60% Ability Power) Magic Damage to enemies in the area. If it hits a seed a Thorn Spitter grows, which has 750 attack range as it's unique trait.

This is Zyra's main plant growing ability. It can be used for poking and for growing Thorn Spitters, which are good for harassing and farming. Since it has a delay some movement prediction must be used when casting this. Often it can be used to bait certain abilities that can be used to dodge, such as Phase Dive and Playful / Trickster. This can make it easier to then land Grasping Roots.
Despite being a damage ability i usually max it last as it doesn't have really high damage and Rampant Growth is good 2nd for the lower cooldown on seeds. However you can max this 2nd if you just want outright ability damage over plant contributions.

W Ability- Rampant Growth

-Passive: Zyra's plants gain 10/20/30/40/50% increased maximum health. Additionally, Zyra stores a seed every 20/18/16/14/12 seconds, up to 2 maximum.-Active: Zyra plants a seed, granting vision of a small area around it for up to 60 seconds. Enemies can step on seeds to destroy them, but this grants True Sight of them for 2 seconds. Zyra can have a maximum of 8 seeds at a time (including Garden of Thorns)

This is the Ability which makes Zyra who she is as there are so many different things she can use the seeds for. Seeds can be used for warding if your Warding Totem is on cooldown and you are concerned about ganks, also it can be used to check bushes in front of you when moving through the jungle. Most importantly though this is used for growing plants which are a big source of [zyra]'s damage. Seeds can sometimes be used to bait enemies by planting one near the enemy and if they walk close to crush it just hit both them and the seed with an ability for some nice harass.
When planting seeds in the context of trying to use ability combos on enemies always plant it AFTER you have used the ability, as this means your seed will definitely be in the path of the ability, and it reduces the chance of enemies stepping on the seed before the ability reaches it. I usually take one point at level 2, and max this 2nd as it gets massive cooldown reduction at each rank, as well as increasing plant survivability, which is important in bigger fights.

This is Zyra's main CC ability and it is the most important ability for starting off your ability combos. In lane if you can land this ability then execute a successful combo then that can easily deal half the enemy's health in damage, maybe more. Try to be careful when using this ability because it is also your disengage and is on a 12 second cooldown, so you want to make sure it is available at all the right times. I classically max this first as the increased root duration is very useful for keeping your enemies rooted for as long as possible while they take damage from plants.

Zyra summons a thicket at target location for 2 seconds, dealing 180/265/350 (+70% Ability Power) Magic Damage to enemies caught in the area. After 2 seconds the Thicket snaps upward, knocking up all enemies in the area for 1 second. If any plants were in the thicket during the 2 seconds before the knockup, their total damage is increased by 50% and their duration/health is refreshed.

This is Zyra's Ultimate and this is probably the biggest reason why she is so good in teamfights. The heavy damage then the knockup will severely cripple the enemy team when she manages to hit multiple enemies. It is also useful in duels as the damage buff for plants will cause them to deal enormous damage. Her ult is on a moderate cooldown so be careful about not wasting it. As usual, take a point in it whenever possible.

Back Options:

These are various items you may want to purchase whenever you decide to recall. What you purchase can depend on how much gold you have or what you need in the current situation, whether you are playing aggressively or passively.

This is probably the most common pickup when playing aggressively. It gives you both some ability power, health and most importantly some magic penetration. It also builds into your core item- Liandry's Torment so it is a powerful early item.

This is another offensive item that can be picked up, except that it builds into Rylai's Crystal Scepter instead. If you need Rylai's as fast as possible then you may want this early.

Boots are always important for the utility that movement speed brings. Upgrading these into Sorcerer's Shoes early on is also good as the magic penetration suits Zyra well.

This is another good offensive start but more in the sense that you have access to your abilities more often, particularly Rampant Growth and Grasping Roots. It is very cheap and gives a nice 30 ability power so it is a very good option.

This is good to buy early when you are against a physical damage champion, or when you are rushing Zhonya's Hourglass to try and protect yourself from burst champions. This gives a nice amount of ability power as well as some armour so it is especially useful against assassins such as Zed and Yasuo.

Core Items:

These are the items which I believe you absolutely must buy in any build. While you don't need to buy them all straight away you must try and have all of them by about mid to late game. If you are behind and have not completed them before or around then try and farm to get back up to speed.

This is an extremely effective item as Zyra has a lot of damage over time effects as well as a lot of CC to proc the double damage on the burn passive. The magic penetration also compliments the % current health damage as well as the base damage of her plants. To top it all off it also gives us nice chunks of health and ability power.

This item is very good for similar reasons to Liandry's Torment as it not only gives even larger chunks of health and ability power but the slow passive on abilities mean the double burn damage of Liandry's Torment can proc on every ability. This is especially useful for Stranglethorns as the slow will increase the chance that enemies are stuck inside the thicket when it triggers the knockup. It also adds a slow to her Thorn Spitters, so both plants can then have a slow.

Everyone needs boots and Sorcerer's Shoes are the best on Zyra as the magic penetration can massively increase her damage when fighting a squishy target. The mobility is also needed so that Zyra can keep up or get way from enemies. I would never usually buy any other boots, but if you are desperate then either Ninja Tabi or Mercury's Treads can be good if you need some desperate protection from some form of damage (or CC in case of Mercury's Treads). I would only ever recommend Ionian Boots of Lucidity if you decided to take a build without Morellonomicon, otherwise they are near useless.

Offensive Options:

This item was close to making the core items list but since Zyra's mana problems are pretty low it didn't quite make the cut. Never the less this is an excellent option as it gives a large chunk of ability power and massive 20% cooldown reduction. The mana regeneration is also helpful in just securing rather than providing her mana. Even it's unique passive is exceptionally useful as it means that the enemy healing is reduced in the last few seconds before Zyra's plants finish them off. Overall this is a very important item but if you really find no place for it in your build then it isn't necessary.

This item has poke mage written all over it as the massive ability power gain can even make Zyra's slightly low scalings seem powerful. This is usually a standard item on mages but since Zyra specialises more in CC and sustained damage this isn't completely necessary. If you are going to buy it buy at least 2 other ability power items first however if you are very ahead you may consider buying it early.

This can be a highly effective item on Zyra if the enemy team is very tanky. The heavy magic penetration in combination with Liandry's Torment can easily melt a high magic resistance and health tank down to nothing. It is also effective against any squishy target, as it pretty much guarantees they will have 0 magic resistance when combined with flat magic penetration.

I kind of think this item is questionable on Zyra but I will talk about it anyway. This can be good on her plants as if she has one active and she keeps on moving around and casting spells then she can cause her plants to proc the splash damage quite a lot, as well as the movement speed helping to counter her poor mobility. However this is better bought on burst mages and disappointingly, despite plant attacks counting as spell casts they will not add to the charge of Luden's Echo. While Zyra does have some burst damage potential she mainly specialises in sustained damage. But if you like this item and feel that it compliments your playstyle then feel free to buy it.

Defensive Items:

This is the defensive item that is associated with being the main defense item for mages. The item gives 50 armour as well as a large chunk of ability power but it's main attribute is it's active which doesn't let you resist lots of damage it just lets you avoid it completely. With careful timing that active can easily save your life by either blocking a fatal source of damage such as Death Mark but can also give you just that little bit of time you need for spells to come off cooldown, allowing you to score a kill at very low health. In Zyra's case this item is especially useful because her plants will continue attacking while she is in stasis. Also in large teamfights it allows her to walk a bit closer to the enemy team so she can use all her abilities at once then enter stasis once they start attacking her. The possibilities for this item are quite limitless but you have to make sure you don't use it at the wrong time, such as when all 5 of the enemy team are chasing you while you are alone. Overall this is a very important item and there are only a very small amount of matches where you may not buy this.

This item has recently gained popularity on mages who like to buy Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Liandry's Torment together (and other health/ability power items), such as Brand and Swain. You will end up having a ton of health so it can be useful if you think you your situation requires you to be a bit more healthy.

I generally don't buy this item however the magic resistance can be useful when facing magic damage burst champions such as Akali and Diana. It also gives some ability power and cooldown reduction however I am simply not a big fan of it because Zyra's long range means she doesn't benefit very much from it's aura.

Additional Items:

These are the "added extra" items that you will buy eventually in late game but may buy at certain earlier times because the situation demands it.

This is a potion you will definitely buy once your build complete since it is bonus ability power and true damage without even using up an item slot. Make sure to keep refreshing it each time you recall!

This can be good if you want to quickly ward baron or dragon but are too far away. It also has a very low cooldown and can potentially last forever. Get this if you want to ward far away areas for safety and observation.

This is similar to Vision Ward as it can reveal invisible units and wards but it is instantaneous and has a much shorter cooldown. This can be bought if you want to be more aggressive by destroying enemy wards rather than placing your own. This can be useful when you are about to kill Baron or dragon and you want to catch out any stealth champions that may ambush you at the last second.

Gameplay

Now I will cover Zyra's gameplay throughout various stages of the game. Starting with early game (Laning phase), mid game (roaming phase) and late game (objective phase).

Early Game:

This is the part of the game at the very beginning when everyone is just trying to farm and harass with occasional ganks from junglers. This will usually last from about levels 1-9, or until the first tower is destroyed.
In Zyra's case she can do quite well during this part as she is very good at harassing. Note that how you harass will depend on whether you are maxing Deadly Spines or Grasping Roots first. For the former, just try and spam it along with Rampant Growth until their health drops low. For the latter use when you are very confident Grasping Roots will land, if so also cast Rampant Growth into Deadly Spines into another Rampant Growth. Note that Rampant Growth needs to be cast in the respective spells area of effect while it is in flight, so that it actually spawns a plant. Also look for opportunities to abuse the seeds created by Garden of Thorns, such as if they spawn close to your enemy.

Mid Game:

This is the part of the game in which outer turrets start to be destroyed and players start to roam the map for kills. You will usually be about level 9-14 at this point. Zyra must be careful at this point as her low mobility makes it easy for her to be caught out of place. However she herself can be a great roamer as her CC is very strong.
However if you have not destroyed your enemies outer turret yet I would recommend doing first unless they are guarding it hard. Calling for ally help can be a good idea at this point.

Late Game:

This is the part of the game in which players are frantically trying to destroy objectives and kill either dragon or baron nashor. You will usually be about level 15+ by this time. This is where Zyra can really blossom (pun intended) as her Grasping Roots + Stranglethorns can really cripple the whole enemy team all at once. While her burst damage starts to fall off her sustained damage throughout team fights is immense. When in team fights always be trying to find those perfect moments to land Grasping Roots as it can act as great initiation for Zyra's other abilities and her whole team. Remember to keep baron and dragon warded and try to kill them if the enemy team is distracted or if you managed to kill 3+ of their team (especially the Jungler).

Basic Spell Combos:

These are 2 Zyra spell combos that you will definitely want to be using regularly:

Simple Harass:

,
Since this is so simple I'm not sure it can be defined as a 'combo' but it's best explained since it is very important when maxing deadly bloom first (and also good for those who max Grasping Roots first). Also it is easier to hit than Grasping Roots so it is generally more reliable. While this is a spammable skill keep an eye on your mana because even Zyra's mana can eventually be depleted if you use it too much. Remember to keep farming between harass as Doran's Ring will restore mana.

Burst Harass:

, , ,
This combo is my most commonly used as it is very deadly when pulled off right. If you land all your abilities and get in lots of plant attacks as well as your own then it can easily deal over 50% of the targets max health in damage, causing them to flee, play safe, or even die to a second combo if they stay. Use this combo when you are very confident that Grasping Roots will land and if it does you will be rewarded greatly. In the unfortunate event it misses try not to plant any seeds as they have a long cooldown during early game and since plants are most effective while your opponent is rooted it means they won't be fully effective if you miss Grasping Roots.

Kill Combo:

, , , ,
This is what Zyra should use when she wants to kill an enemy or more. This is the same as the burst harass combo except that Stranglethorns is added at the end for more damage and CC. It can also be a good idea to cast Stranglethorns just after casting Grasping Roots of you are confident that Grasping Roots will land because it reduces the risk of enemies escaping the knockup since they will be rooted for more of Stranglethorns' duration. If you have either Ignite or Exhaust then use those as well if you want to secure your kill further.

Zyra Support- Introduction

As well as being a good mid laner Zyra also excels at being a bottom lane support for an ADC. Her wealth of CC, long range poke and innate vision are very useful when helping an ADC get kills and survive. Zyra is especially good at utilising brush since it makes it difficult for enemies to tell when and from what position her abilities are coming from. However just be careful of her sheer squishyness and lack of mobility as this can make hard engage matchups difficult, such as Blitzcrank and Thresh. Also her high damage can sometimes result in some accidental kill stealing ;).

Zyra Support- Runes

I decided to keep Zyra's recommended runes the same as her mage build, as well as her possible alternative runes (reminder of them here). This is because Zyra support is about making your harass hurt as much as possible, also the armor from the Greater Seal of Armor is useful for negating ADC damage.

Zyra Support- Summoner Spells

These are the two best choices for Zyra support. Exhaust is very powerful since it makes it easy to land skillshots, let your ADC catch up, save your ADC and many other purposes. There are nearly no situations where I wouldn't take it. As for Flash it is the classice spell that all champions take. The mobility it offers is through the roof and is even more necessary than Exhaust.

The only substitute summoner spell you would really consider is Ignite, as the bonus damage can allow for an early kill. It also reduces the effectiveness of an ADC's Heal.

Zyra Support- Abilities

Overall there isn't really much difference between using this passive as a mage and using it as a support. Grow plants to harass the ADC when a seed spawns near them, as well as using the seeds to zone the ADC away from farm.

While in lane with an ADC this ability is mainly useful for when you want to grow a Thorn Spitter. Since you will not be maxing it first it's damage will be kind of low but it becomes better later in the game when it has more damage and when you have items with spell effects (such as Rylai's Crystal Scepter. I max this last
This spell gains a lot more value as a support because not only can it be used for growing plants but the innate vision it offers is very handy for avoiding ganks and also checking bushes in your lane for sneaky supports. Maxing Rampant Growth second is a good idea as the cooldown reduction and increase in seeds can be valuable as a support.

This is your staple ability for being aggressive as the root will lock down the enemy ADC and keep them in place for ADC and plant attacks. The Vine Lasher that grows is also useful for similar purposes. This can also be used when a gank is coming and you need to root the jungler or ADC to get away. Absolutely max this first.

This ability is mainly useful for it's knockup, since this will severly cripple the ADC. When your ADC is duelling with the enemy simply plant this underneath the enemy and they will gain a heavy disadvantage. Or if you are fleeing cast this around you and your ADC to knockup any pursuers. As usual take a point whenever possible.

Zyra Support- Items

Starting Items:

These will be your starting items. I wouldn't recommend any other starting items on Zyra apart from possibly substituting 2 Health Potions for a Vision Ward, in case you want the early vision. Spellthief's Edge is the necessary item as Zyra benefits greatly from the tribute passive, since she is so good at harassing. I wouldn't recommend Ancient Coin since Zyra will not lose much health when played correctly.

Core Items:

This is the core item on any support. It is impossible to be a good support without it. The wards are invaluable for keeping crucial points warded, such as the river to avoid ganks, or dragon so you can possibly ambush the enemy. In late game warding dragon (and baron) becomes even more necessary and it is often good to keep bushes warded in case the enemy team has planned a big ambush within one. It is highly gold efficient since you can have potentially infinite wards that last longer than your average Warding Totem. To top it all off it even gives some health.

Since you have Sightstone for wards your other necessary support item is Sweeping Lens. This is handy for denying your enemies vision of key areas (such as dragon and river). Remember to upgrade it into oracle's alteration at level 9.

This is the item that builds from Spellthief's Edge. I find this to be very powerful on Zyra due to it's active effect. After patch 5.22 Frost Queen's Claim now has the Twin Shadows active effect (which has been removed) but on a low 60 second cooldown. The slow that it offers is the main reason this is good as it makes landing your skillshots much easier. It is also useful for engaging and disengaging. Since it grants vision of enemies it can be used to scout the jungle to check for any enemy champions that may be hiding in it. The item itself also gives us moderate ability power to make abilities more potent, as well as cooldown reduction and massive mana regeneration. Overall a very powerful item on Zyra.

I like these boots best on all supports because of the sheer mobility they give in every situation. The 55 movement speed is very useful for repositioning, catching up, and running away and even gives 25% reduced slow effects. To top it all off it only costs 900 gold so is very gold efficient. I prefer these to Boots of Mobility because Boots of Mobility are too unreliable, since your reduced movement speed while in combat could affect whether you can contribute to a crucial situation. If the situation demands it here are other options you may consider: Ionian Boots of Lucidity can be a good choice before your Rampant Growth is maxed. You can buy these boots while it is not at max rank then sell them once it is maxed. Since Ionian Boots of Lucidity are very cheap you will not lose much gold doing this. Sorcerer's Shoes are a good choice if you need more damage output. This may be because your ADC has become behind in someway and therefore they need help from you to supplement their damage.
Either Mercury's Treads or Ninja Tabi can be good choices if you are facing heavy magic or physical damage. Boots of Mobility can be considered if you plan to do lots of roaming to mid. Since Zyra has good crowd control that could be worth it.

This is very powerful item when playing as a support since ADCs have a tendency to build life steal, which this item can then reduce. It also grants massive cooldown reduction as well as some mana.

Offensive Options:

Quite a good item on Zyra support because the current health damage means that Zyra can quickly demolish an enemy's health bar without the damage taking the kill, as current health damage will eventually reach 0 when the targets health has reached a certain level. Therefore good for preparing enemies for her ADC.

This is good for improving chasing potential as well as adding more CC to a teamfight. You buy this for pretty similar reasons that you would buy it as a mid lane mage.

This can be especially good if the enemy team is heavily magic damage based, as the promoted minion becomes immune to magic damage. Therefore this is good for pushing towers. It also grants the Legion aura which is also useful against magic damage heavy teams. Note that Zyra's plants CAN be promoted by Banner of Command.

This has the potential to be a very powerful item. If it's passive is activated while in the midst of a teamfight then the extra ability power for you and the extra critical strike chance for your ADC makes for a sudden advantage for your team. It even gives some armour if you are having any trouble with physical damage.

Defensive options:

This item is useful for the same reasons that it is useful in mid lane. The active effect is very potent when you ant to start a fight without immediately getting focused down.

This can sometimes be more useful on a support Zyra, since you will be a bit more tanky due to your general item spread and you will not be the prime focus in your team, therefore it is safer to walk close and benefit from the aura. This is especially useful if your team has heavy magic damage.

This is exceptionally useful when the enemy team has a lot of CC. The active is very powerful and can potentially turn a fatal gank or hard engage in your favour. This also gives you a form of health sustain for your ADC however note that it has a long cooldown so you don't want to be using it as soon as it is available.

This upgrades from Sightstone so you will always buy it, but I decided not to put it in essentials as you may stay with just your Sightstone for a long time.

Additional Items:

This is the elixir you will usually buy once your build is complete. The true damage is handy for pushing towers.

This is an alternative elixir you can consider as the bonus movement speed for allies is useful for letting them escape from fights, however you will most likely not be leading the charge into fights. It even gives some tenacity and health, which can help make you a bit more durable.

You will upgrade your Sweeping Lens into this at level 9. The effect of the Oracle Alteration has a longer duration and follows you wherever you go while active.

Zyra Support- Synergies

This chapter shows how well Zyra works with each ADC in lane. I will gove a rating ranging from 1 to 10 based on how good they are together, 1 meaning very poor, 10 meaning very good, and 5 meaning average.

8/10

Ashe is the ADC with the most utility. She synergises quite well as her Frost Shot allows you to land skillshots more easily. She can then use your hard CC to then land her Enchanted Crystal Arrow with ease ultimately making Ashe and Zyra work very well together. They also both have innate vision so ganks can be carefully monitored. Overall a good matchup.

6/10

This is generally just an ok synergy but can have the potential to be good. If someone lands on Caitlyn's Yordle Snap Trap then this gives you a chance to try and land skillshots. Sometimes this can be done the other way around in which you catch someone with Grasping Roots and she quickly lays a trap underneath their feet. Since Caitlyn has a very long auto attack range it means slowing or rooting someone with your abilities makes it easy for her to harass them with basic attacks. Overall though an ok matchup.

5/10

Both you guys happen to be caster based champions reliant on skillshots, overall meaning this can go really badly or really well. If you are both good at landing skillshots then you can harass them into hell and your CC will keep Corki relatively safe and allow him to land more skillshots. However if you are both frequently missing then the lane becomes very difficult. Overall an average matchup.

7/10

Draven is a snowball champion. therefore Zyra is a good support for him since she is very aggressive. When you land Grasping Roots and all your other abilities this gives Draven a good chance to just walk in and melt the target enemy (preferably ADC). However note if you can't get that early lead then Draven may just become quite useless. Overall though a good matchup.

5/10

Similar to the Corki matchup as Ezreal is reliant on skillshots, so this lane is either 100% yours or 100% theirs.

7/10

This is an interesting matchup as Graves is all about getting in the enemies face and bursting them down. This can be good as being able to land CC on the enemy then lets Graves just move right up to them. Since Graves also has innate bonus resistances, it means he is superior when he gets up close to the enemy. Overall a good matchup.

8/10

As a snowball champion with a strong early game this makes Zyra a good support for Jinx. When Jinx lands either her Zap! or Flame Chompers! this makes landing your skillshots easy, then you can collapse onto your victim for kill (this CC process can also be done the other way around). Remember that Get Excited! allows Jinx to quickly disengage so do not be afraid about her getting killed very easily after you two have a kill. Overall a good matchup.

8/10

This is a good synergy as the chain CC with Grasping Roots and Deadly Flourish is very strong. Also since Zyra does lots of damage it makes Jhin's 4th shot all the more potent, since it deals missing health damage

9/10

I find this matchup to be very good because of how all your abilities combine together. Most significant is both your ultimates, as Kalista can use Fate's Call to knockup your enemies and then you can plant Stranglethorns under them while they are knocked up, resulting in a double knockup. Kalista also has a slow for skillshots, innate vision and your long auto attack range allows easy activation of Sentinels bonus damage. Overall a very good matchup.

4/10

Since Kog'Maw has the potential to deal huge damage but is immobile it means that all he needs is a support that can keep him safe. While Zyra does have CC to stop enemies getting to him she lacks shields, heals or movement speed buffs which means she may find it challenging to properly keep him safe. I might consider items such as Mikael's Crucible or Locket of the Iron Solari to try and help with that problem. So overall while Zyra can be of some help she probably isn't the best support for Kog'Maw.

7/10

This can be a good matchup since Lucian has innate mobility, and The Culling synergises well with supports who can keep his target still, such as Zyra. His burst damage is very strong so landing Grasping Roots will allow him to harass using abilities and Lightslinger. Overall a good matchup.

7/10

This can be a good matchup since Vault gives Quinn good early game kiting potential. The knockback and slow it causes then makes landing your abilities easier. Her Blinding Assault also means enemies cannot see where you are firing skillshots from so then it can result in you two dealing heavy damage with little taken. Overall a good matchup.

6/10

Sivir is very mobile so she fills that gap for you. Meanwhile your CC is good for keeping enemies in place while she easily shreds them with Boomerang Blade and Ricochet. However she has no CC at all so you must be more careful when trying to land your abilities. Overall an ok matchup.

[icon=tristana size=50

7/10

This has good potential beacause both of you guys have strong hard engage. Rooting the ADC allows Tristana easy autoattacks on her Explosive Charge.

8/10

Twitch is similar to Miss Fortune as he can also pull off good AoE 'wombo combos'. He also has a slow and his Ambush allows him to pull off high damage surprises after you land your Grasping Roots and other abilities. Overall a good matchup.

6/10

Varus is a unique ADC since he has the traits of a caster but also retains powerful auto attack potential. Also Zyra's Stranglethorns in combination with Chain of Corruption can result in enemies being CC'd for a very long time, and her CC allows him to land his all powerful Piercing Arrows. However he has no mobility whatsoever so keeping him safe will be tough. Overall an ok matchup.

7/10

Vayne is a snowball champion with an exceptionally weak early game. Just let her farm for a while you harass the enemy. After a while Vayne will be able to utilise your CC to then land her Condemn when enemies are near walls, then Stranglethorns can be planted underneath them. As long as Vayne gets at least about 2 to 3 kills then she will start becoming very powerful. Overall a pretty good matchup.

Zyra Support- Gameplay

Overall there isn't much to say as it is pretty similar to a mid lane mage Zyra since she is about contributing her powerful CC and high sustained damage to teamfights. The difference with a support build being that rather than trying to get kills you are trying to keep the enemy disabled so that they cannot harm your allies and also to get the allies kills. The biggest difference is early game:
In early game you will be trying to harass the enemy for your ADC, as well as keeping necessary areas warded and protection your ADC. Unless they are warded make sure to use the bushes in the lane, as it means enemies cannot see when and where Zyra uses her abilities. If you feel you can get a kill then signal your ADC and use the kill combo shown in the mid lane mage guide. In terms of keeping your ADC safe aim your abilities always at the enemy ADC and use exhaust if necessary.
Overall mid and late game are going to be very similar to a mid lane mage build, just keep in mind that you will be more responsible for warding and CC in teamfights and not damage/kills.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for reading my guide on mid lane Zyra and/or support Zyra. I hope you learned much and will have fun playing Zyra and also win many matches with her. Since this is my first guide I am sorry if it is not very good. Leave a comment if there are any errors or improvements that can be resolved and have a good time with Zyra!

League of Legends is a team based, real time strategy game set in a mythical world of swords & magic where epic battles decide the fate of mystical nations. Game players take on the role of a Summoner who conjures and controls champions to fight for them at the Institute of War. During game play champions gain experience and items to enhance their skills and abilities. How players develop and play their champions can be the difference between a crushing defeat or a glorious victory!